1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for conducting sweepstakes. In particular, the present invention relates to a sweepstakes in which a consumer purchases a prepaid voucher for goods and services unrelated to the sweepstakes, and in return, as a promotional bonus, is provided a corresponding number of optional entries into the sweepstakes.
2. Description of Related Art
Sweepstakes, raffles, and lotteries have been around for centuries. People enjoy the experience of entering a sweepstakes and hoping to win the “grand” prize. In most sweepstakes, the participant purchases a ticket, or entry, for a nominal amount of money in exchange for a chance to win prizes that are valued significantly higher than the cost of the ticket. Most often, the odds against the participant of winning the best prizes are very high. However, in order to keep participants interested in the sweepstakes, or to entice the participants to play again, prizes having nominal values close to or below the cost of the entry are often awarded. As is well known, the participant's odds of winning these nominally valued prizes are typically close to 1:1.
Although the sweepstakes industry is heavy regulated, it remains very large and lucrative. Indeed, with the advent in recent years of prepaid vouchers, such as prepaid gasoline cards, prepaid credit cards, and prepaid phone cards (“PPC”), new games of chance and methods of conducting sweepstakes have been developed. For example, one of these new games of chance involves the purchase of a $1.00 “emergency” PPC that is only good for about one minute of telephone airtime. To play this type of game, a person goes up to a game terminal. Then, the person inserts currency into the terminal. In return, a corresponding number of $1.00 PPC's are dispensed into a tray.
The PPC's used in these games are typically multi-layered or folded pieces of paper or cardboard. The PPC's are preprinted and stored on a roll inside the game terminal. The PPC's used in these games are “read-only” devices that can be only be read by card readers in the game terminal. Once the these PPC's are printed, the data cannot be changed, and no more data can be added. Certain indicia is printed on each $1.00 PPC, including a personal identification number (“PIN”) that is required to use the PPC from any telephone, bar codes and other graphical indicia that instruct the game terminal on what images to display, and an indication of what prize, if any, has been won. Thus, the “winning” and “losing” PPC's are predetermined.
One problem with these games is that each game terminal is a separate stand-alone machine. Because the PPC's are preprinted, there is no need or capability to interconnect or network the games machines together. This greatly reduces the number, type, and style of games that can be played. In other words, the participants cannot choose between different games, cannot compete against each other on different machines, and.
Another problem with these types of games of chance is that it is clear that most participants purchase the PPC for the sole purpose of entering the game of chance, not to use the PPC to buy telephone airtime. When the participant purchases the PPC, he participates in the game of chance, whether he wants to or not. Because people only purchase these “emergency” PPC's to participate in the game, the regulatory authorities in many jurisdictions have determined that these games are illegal lotteries. The reasoning is that, because the PPC has a nominal value, the participants are giving consideration merely to play a game of chance, not to buy and use the PPC to make telephone calls. This is evidenced by the fact that these $1.00 PPC's are often found unused in trash receptacles outside of establishments that sell such PPC's and offer such games of chance.